Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says. Anyone who listens to the word but does not do what it says is like someone who looks at his face in a mirror and, after looking at himself, goes away and immediately forgets what he looks like. But whoever looks intently into the perfect law that gives freedom, and continues in it—not forgetting what they have heard, but doing it—they will be blessed in what they do. (James 1:22-25)
Today, we need to begin with what is strongly implied in the text before we move on to the text itself. When James writes that we should not merely listen to the word, he implies that we should be listening to the word. One of the things that is true of Judaism and Christianity is that they are faiths that are tied to books that claim to have been inspired by God in the hearts of many people. The Quran differs because it has but one prophet within its pages: Mohammed. If the person who merely listens to the word deceives himself, how much more does the person who claims Christianity and doesn’t even listen? We cannot do what it says if we do not know what it says.
Some people declare that they know enough of what it says. It tells us to love. Yes, it does. But do we understand sufficiently what love is? Do we love who, what, and how it says to love? Some say they are effectively red-letter Christians. They say they believe what Jesus proclaimed in the Gospels. Do we really do what He tells us? All of what He tells us, or only bits and piece?
None of us is careful enough in our obedience to the word. We look at it, walk away and forget. According to Hermann Ebbinghaus, we forget forty percent of what we see within a week. I’ve read that it happens faster than that. Even the things that we remember, how much do we really hold on to? Sure, I remember a line from a show or book that impressed me, but do I remember the whole show or book? Yes, I remember what he said to me, but do I remember what I said to him, or how I said it? Really?
There are two ways to improve our memories. The first is repetition. Don’t read it once and that’s it, read it repeatedly, memorize it, meditate on it. The second is action. Don’t just read it, memorize it, and meditate on it, but do it. Do it repeatedly. Learn to do it right. Do it until your body has learned to do it (correctly) out of habit. Even give yourself a check up on it once a day for three weeks, followed by once a week for three months, and later by once a month for three years, and once a year for three decades. By that time, you can probably say you know it.
Some people declare that they know enough of what it says. It tells us to love. Yes, it does. But do we understand sufficiently what love is? Do we love who, what, and how it says to love? Some say they are effectively red-letter Christians. They say they believe what Jesus proclaimed in the Gospels. Do we really do what He tells us? All of what He tells us, or only bits and piece?
None of us is careful enough in our obedience to the word. We look at it, walk away and forget. According to Hermann Ebbinghaus, we forget forty percent of what we see within a week. I’ve read that it happens faster than that. Even the things that we remember, how much do we really hold on to? Sure, I remember a line from a show or book that impressed me, but do I remember the whole show or book? Yes, I remember what he said to me, but do I remember what I said to him, or how I said it? Really?
There are two ways to improve our memories. The first is repetition. Don’t read it once and that’s it, read it repeatedly, memorize it, meditate on it. The second is action. Don’t just read it, memorize it, and meditate on it, but do it. Do it repeatedly. Learn to do it right. Do it until your body has learned to do it (correctly) out of habit. Even give yourself a check up on it once a day for three weeks, followed by once a week for three months, and later by once a month for three years, and once a year for three decades. By that time, you can probably say you know it.
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